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UW Students Appreciate Jeff Selden’s Approach to Teaching Mathematics

April 28, 2014 — Mathematical analysis is one of the oldest, deepest and most
challenging areas of mathematics, but University of Wyoming mathematics lecturer
Jeffrey Selden has shown the rare ability to challenge students to understand
and succeed in this difficult subject.

For his efforts, Selden was chosen to receive the John P.
Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award. The awards are made possible by
a fund established by Ellbogen to "foster, encourage and reward excellence
in classroom teaching at UW." Winners are selected from a list nominated
by students, and the awards are based entirely on classroom performance and
helpfulness to students.

This year’s other winners are Joe Cooper, assistant
professor in the Department of Management and Marketing; and David Finnoff,
associate professor in the Department of Economics and Finance.

Since beginning at UW, Selden has gone the extra mile to
help students learn in 18 classes spanning 13 different courses, ranging from
beginning calculus through graduate-level courses such as Partial Differential
Equations. Through it all, his students describe him as “an outstanding teacher,”
and statements such as "Professor Selden did a remarkable job in teaching
this course" are repeated throughout the written comments.

“He is committed to quality instruction of mathematics at a
variety of levels, delivering what students almost unanimously describe as
rigorous yet relevant courses,” wrote John Spitler, a colleague in the
Department of Mathematics. “He has made, and will continue to make, a
significant impact on those students fortunate enough to have him as a teacher.
They will think about mathematics and its connection to the world around us.”

Such commitment to student learning, Spitler says, is
offered “for each and every one of his students no matter whether that student
is a first-semester, perhaps somewhat intimidated, freshman from some small
town in Wyoming or a graduate student trying to understand the finer points of
functional analysis. His expectations are high, but he is willing to do
everything within his power to help his students attain, and even surpass, the
lofty goals he sets. “

Students appreciate the challenges Selden sets for them.

“His lectures are concise and to the point, which allows
time for students to ask questions and interact with him. His depth of
understanding allows him to answer almost any question effectively,” writes
former student Eric Jensen. “Most importantly, Dr. Selden's ability to break
problems into fundamental steps makes higher-level math seem very clear and
simple. His exams are challenging but fair and are always designed to drive
home key concepts. This structure and his personable demeanor make Dr. Selden's
classes very memorable.”

“Jeff is approachable and he makes his classes enjoyable”
she writes. “On the other hand, he pushes you to work hard and understand the
material on your own. I look forward to taking many more classes with him in
future.”

“If some students are unable to understand a topic based
on his first explanation, he will patiently
use another example, or explain the concept
in a different way,” she
says. This not only helps more students
understand each concept
in class, but also provides a greater depth of understanding to all students.”

Selden
joined the UW faculty in 2008. He received a B.S. in mathematics (1998) with
high honors at New Mexico State University, and received a Ph.D. in mathematics
(2004) from the University of Arizona.